In-Kyung Kim leads by one shot at -8 after two rounds at the Longs Drugs Challenge.  Mollie Fankhauser is second at -7 while Lorena Ochoa is third at -6.

Wind gusts of up to 30mph drove scores through the roof, especially for the afternoon groups.  Only 17 players were able to break par.  Even so Inky was -9 at the turn, but she bogeyed 10 for the second straight day before parring out to post 69.  Fankhauser played the back nine in 32 as she birdied 14, 15 and 17, equaling the Round of the Day at 68.  Ochoa matched Mollie as she birdied three of the last four to vault into third place.  Lorena accidentally drove the green at 17, and didn't miss holing it by much.  I know it was an accident because the group in front of hers was still putting out!  Angela Stanford and Il Mi Chung were the only other players to break 70.

First-round co-leader Maria Hjorth was hanging in there at -5, only +1 on the day, until she teed off at 12.  Three holes later, Mimi was even par thanks to two doubles and a bogey.  She now stands at +2 and T38.  Michele Redman didn't fall quite that far from her co-leader spot - 75 puts her in a tie for ninth at -4.  Mikaela Parmlid put up a 74 and only fell to T9 from the T3 she started with.

The cut rose to +5, allowing 78 players to continue but sending Seon Hwa Lee, Ji Young Oh and Sun Young Yoo packing.  Mi Hyun Kim withdrew for reasons other than her knee, I hope.  As for the players battling for Top 80 or 100 status, here is how they stand:

-7   Mollie Fankhauser

-4   Charlotte Mayorkas

-3   Reilley Rankin, Mikaela Parmlid, Sarah Kemp

-1   Meredith Duncan

E    Kate Golden

+1  Sophie Giquel

+2   Moira Dunn, Carolina Llano

+3   Mhairi McKay

+4   Linda Wessberg, Wendy Doolan, Gloria Park

+5   Jennifer Rosales

MC  Russy Gulyanamitta, Dorothy Delasin, Kelli Kuehne, Karin Sjodin, Brandie Burton

Through 12 holes, Brittany Lincicome was +9 and just playing out the string towards her 11^th missed cut of the year.  Well...she birdied four of the last six holes and the cut jumped to +5 at the last minute, allowing Brittany to play this weekend.  Maybe that late rush will be the start of this player's return to prominence.

GC interviewed Suzann Pettersen tonight and during that segment, it occurred to me that Suzann does a much better job now at expressing herself than she did during her breakout 2007 season.  More than once last year, I mentioned how her demeanor during interviews often came off rather snotty.  Pettersen has gotten used to being in the spotlight and now seems to be comfortable enough to let her sense of humor come out naturally in her second language.  Consider my opinion of Suzann Pettersen to be changed as well.